Dr. Scott Hamilton did not think he was going to end up in Louisiana. However, when he met his wife in Portland, Maine, and spending seven years together up north, the Lafayette native had to get closer to home. So, the pair moved to Acadiana.

"I met a Cajun girl," Hamilton said. "That's why I'm here."

In the years since, Hamilton has found his passion as the medical director of the pediatric emergency department at Ochsner Lafayette General Regional Medical Center, where he has worked for 25 years.

His new goal aligns with the hospital's: Expanding the resources at the pediatric emergency room and extending the hours to care for more pediatric patients each day.

Starting in August, Hamilton and his team at Ochsner Lafayette General opened the pediatric ER from noon to 11 p.m. with a f

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